Heart of the matter
by connerfan
Summary: Becky and Mark's son needs heart surgery.
1. Chapter 1

"I love you." Becky said as the nurses proceeded to take her to the operating room.

"I love you too. I'll be in the waiting room and as soon as they let me, I'll be in to see you."

"Kay. I gotta take care of our son."

And with that, the two were separated. Becky took in a deep breath when she saw how many doctors and nurses were surrounding her. "You understand what we're doing today?"

"Yes."

"Any questions?"

"No. I'm just nervous."

"Just relax." The doctor said, as the anesthesia was administered.

 **Flashback**

"He has a heart condition. He's sick, Mark. So what happens next?"

"My recommendation is to do a fetal cardiac intervention."

"What is that?"

"It's basically surgery before the baby is born."

"How do you do that?" Becky asked.

"First, we need to make an incision through you to reach the baby. Like a c-section, but we won't deliver the baby. We insert a needle into the baby's heart and inflate the valve using a balloon catheter."

"You're going to cut my wife open? There's no way you're gonna do that." Mark said.

"Hold on Mark." Becky said. "What's the success rate? Will the baby still need surgery after birth? What are the risks?"

"Well, the biggest risk is bleeding or preterm labor. The baby may need surgery after birth, we can't say for certain until the birth. Most babies respond very well to this procedure."

"We need to do it Mark."

"I don't want them doing major surgery on you."

"I don't want our baby to be sick or to suffer."

"So you don't mind the procedure?"

"I'm sure it won't be comfortable but I will do anything for him. It's about him Mark. It's not about me. Let's have the procedure."

 **End Flashback**

Becky remembered nothing else until she woke up, surrounded by doctors.

"Mrs. Healy?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Really sore." Becky moaned.

"Well, the surgery was successful. We'll monitor you for a couple of days. We want to ensure that you feel the baby move within the next twenty four hours. If you're not feeling the baby move, there could be some serious complications."

Becky nodded.

"Any questions for me?"

"Is there anything I should be watching for besides waiting for him to move?"

"We'll be monitoring you for bleeding. You'll have an ultrasound before you're discharged."

Becky nodded.

Mark walked in and stood at her side, "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just sore. And I'm waiting for him to move. They said that I need to feel him move in the next twenty four hours." Becky said, gently touching her belly, "Come on little guy."

Eight hours later…

"Still not moving?"

Becky shook her head. "I'm terrified, Mark. He's normally pretty active. I don't know why he's not moving."

"Well, they said that the anesthesia could make him sleepy. Also, the procedure itself was a lot, it took a lot out of him to go through that."

"Come on buddy. Please. I need you to move around for just a little bit."

"Please." Becky said, moving onto her side. "I need to know you're alive right now."

"Please." Becky repeated. "You're always moving around in there. This is scaring me."

"He's fine. With you and I as parents, we know he's a strong boy."

Becky looked up at Mark with tears pouring down her face.

"Don't cry, babe."

"For every minute that he doesn't move, I just keep thinking that he's not okay, Mark."

"He's just tired from the anesthesia."

"I hope that's all it is Mark. Come on little guy…."

"My belly hurts. I can feel where the incision is. If I can feel it, I can't even imagine how sore he is. He's just a tiny baby…"

"I know."

"Come on little guy. I'm scared Mark. They inserted a balloon into his heart. You don't think he had a heart attack…?"

"Stop that."

"Why isn't he moving?"

"They said it could be up to twenty four hours. Babe, you're freaking out when it hasn't been twenty four hours."

Becky sighed, gently holding one hand to her stomach. "Mark and I tried for almost three years before this pregnancy."

"When they told us you were sick and you'd need surgery...they said I needed to see a specialist. They offered to terminate the pregnancy."

"It's not your fault that you're sick. You deserve a chance to live life. I couldn't terminate. Please wake up soon."

"Let me try." Mark said. "Hey little buddy. I've never seen your mom so worried. Just a quick little kick to show her you're okay?"

"I'm not as worried about you as mom is. They said twenty four hours. I know you're strong."

"It sucks that we can't make him move." Becky said, disappointed.

"You're right, we can't force him."

"Can you hand me an extra pillow? This bed is so uncomfortable."

Mark handed over the pillow. Becky placed it under her side.

Suddenly, Becky gasped, "Oh my god…."

"What?"

"He's moving, Mark."

"Told you he's fine."

"Hey buddy. That was a hard recovery, huh? Especially for a tiny baby."

Becky continued, "You have no idea how happy I am right now to feel you moving. You needed that procedure, baby."

"Hey pal." Mark said, laying a hand over his wife. "Glad you woke up. Maybe mom will finally sleep, she's been freaked out waiting to feel you move."

"Sleep sounds amazing now that I know he's still alive."

"Of course he's alive. I told you, he's a strong boy. Good genes."

"He's not doing somersaults but he is moving."

"I love you." Mark replied, pulling her into a kiss. "Thanks for taking care of our baby."


	2. Chapter 2

**4 months later….**

"Do we know what the birth plan is?"

"No c-section if we can avoid it." Becky replied. "It's less stressful for him to deliver him naturally."

"As soon as he's born, he'll have a team here to evaluate him and stabilize him."

Becky nodded. She then grabbed for Mark's hand. "I'm nervous."

"There's nothing to be nervous about. He'll have a great team of doctors there for him as soon as he's out."

 **2 hours later…**

"Push hard. We don't want him in there stressing out for too long."

Becky suddenly heard crying. She fell back against the bed and caught her breath, "Is he okay?"

"They're checking him out, babe."

"Is he moving Mark?"

"He's moving. I can barely see him babe, there's doctors checking him out right now."

"All ten fingers and all ten toes?"

"Yeah. He looks complete as far as I can tell. We just have to have his heart looked at."

"Mr. and Mrs. Healy?"

"Yeah?"

"Hi. Dr. Gibson. We need to take the baby for an ultrasound on his heart."

"Yeah. Do whatever you need to do."

"We'll be back in about fifteen minutes."

Becky watched as her son was wheeled out of the room. "You think he's okay, Mark?"

"I hope he's okay."

"Fingers crossed that procedure was enough."

Fifteen minutes later, the doctor returned.

"Well? Is he okay?"

"You've got a sick baby."

Becky felt her face crumbling. "Hunny…" Mark said, consoling her, "Let him finish."

"The valve in his heart is still narrow. I think the previous surgery did help, but he needs additional surgery."

"How soon does he need surgery?"

"I think it's best if we do surgery within the next week. The sooner, the better."

"What's his prognosis?" Becky asked. "And be honest with me."

"With surgery, he has a good prognosis and I fully expect he will live a normal life."

"Kay, so he has a good prognosis as long as we do this soon. How quickly can he have surgery?"

"I want to do surgery within the next week. I don't have an exact date yet, it depends on when the operating room is available."

"Let's do it." Becky replied. "First day you're available to do surgery, let's do it."

"Yeah, if he needs surgery, then let's do surgery." Mark agreed.

"Okay, I'm going to get him transferred over to children's hospital. There's some admissions paperwork you'll need to sign."

"How quickly will he be transferred?"

"He'll be transferred today."

"Can I hold him before he goes?"

A nurse brought the baby over before leaving. She carefully put him in Becky's arms.

Becky held the baby to her chest and cried a few tears. "Hey buddy. I love you. They're going to take care of you. As soon as I'm discharged from here, I'll be over there day and night to see you."

Becky gave him one last kiss and then watched the nurses wheel him out. "Mark...you should go with him…"

"I wanna be here with you."

"He only has two parents and I can't be with him right now, Mark. I want you to be with him. I'll be fine, I have my family. He knows you, Mark, you're his daddy."

"Kay." Mark agreed. "I'll go with him and I'll text you when I know something."

"Any decisions that need to be made...please tell me before you make any decisions."

"I will."

Becky and Mark kissed. Mark followed the baby out of the room.

Darlene came to visit an hour later. "Hey."

"Hey. Thanks for coming."

"You okay?"

"I've got a sick baby."

"I know how it feels. Harris was a sick baby there for awhile. You feel pretty helpless."

Becky nodded.

"You carried him to term which helps. At least he's not premature on top of his heart condition."

"Yeah, at least I got him this far. It's all up to the doctors now."

"They're great doctors, Becky."

"I only got to hold him for a minute. Best minute ever."

"When is he having surgery?"

"We don't have a date yet but they said within the next week."

"Mark's with him?"

"Yeah they transferred him to children's hospital. As soon as I can bust out of here, I'll be over there too."

"Well, you have to take care of yourself, too." Darlene replied. "You just gave birth. You're going to need the recovery time."

"I know but...he needs me."

"I know. Just don't forget to take care of yourself. Get lots of rest, take warm showers, relax, just take care of you."

"They said his prognosis is good once he has surgery. It's just getting through this part and getting him through it. He's tiny. I'm scared."

"Children's hospital has a fantastic team of doctors, Becky. They're used to working on tiny ones. He'll be okay."

"He doesn't even have a name yet. Mark and I didn't even get a chance to discuss names. They were transferring him within thirty minutes after he was born."

"Who does he look like? You or Mark?"

"He's blonde." Becky said, with a huge smile on her face. "He has Mark's eyes. He has Mark's nose. And he has my ears."

"He sounds adorable."

"I can't wait to bust out of here so I can hold him again."


	3. Chapter 3

2 days later…

"Ready to leave this hospital for another one?"

"I'm more than ready. I can't wait to see him."

"Has Mark been sending you pictures?" Jackie asked.

"He's been amazing with the pictures and updates, but it's still not the same as being there myself and talking to the doctors while I hold him. I'm getting out of here just in time, his surgery is in four hours."

"Well we've gotta get you over there."

Jackie helped Becky into the car and drove away.

Mark met Becky in the waiting room. The pair kissed. "How's our son today?"

"He's okay. He's prepped for surgery."

"I have to see him." Becky said.

"Kay, just keep in mind, he's prepped for surgery. He's got a lot of lines in him."

"I need to see him and hold him before surgery."

Mark nodded and led her to the room. Becky was introduced to one of the nurses.

"Can I hold him?"

"Are you mom?"

"Yeah. I just got discharged from the hospital."

The nurse picked the baby up and brought him to Becky. "This might be better if you're sitting down."

Becky pulled up a chair and sat down. The nurse gently transferred the baby. "Just be really careful. He has a lot of lines in. He has an IV, and a line for feeding…."

"Kay." Becky replied, looking down at him. "Hey buddy. It's mommy. I missed you."

"So is parenthood everything you imagined it would be, so far?" Mark asked.

"The only part about this journey so far that is just like I imagined, is my love for him. I'm just as in love with him as I thought I would be with my baby."

"The rest of this is nothing like I imagined. Having a sick baby who needs surgery. Being separated from my sick baby at birth and not getting to see him for two days."

"I know. It sucked for me too, having to choose between being with my wife and being with my son, both of you in different hospitals."

"I'm so glad you were here with him. I felt better knowing someone was with him."

The baby woke up and stared straight into his mother's eyes. "Oh my god….those eyes….hi sweet boy! You're perfect! We just have to get your heart fixed today."

"He needs a name."

Becky nodded. "We need to talk about names while we're waiting."

4 hours later, the baby went into surgery. Mark nervously paced the hall. Becky nervously attempted to read a baby name book.

"Any ideas for a name?"

"I think we should name him Mark."

"Mark Jr?"

"Yeah."

"I love it."

Another 2 hours passed before the doctor finally came.

"How's my son?"

"He's in intensive care. Surgery went well, but he needs careful observation for the next week or so."

"You were able to get the valve opened up?"

"Yes. Overall, his prognosis is good. He will need to be monitored by a pediatric cardiologist but I anticipate he will not need additional surgeries."

"Thank you." Becky said with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for taking such good care of him."

"I'll warn you, he's hooked up to a lot of lines and tubes. He has a feeding line, and a line for pain medication, and various monitors. It might be difficult for you to see him like this."

"We want to see him." Becky replied.

"He's in neonatal intensive care. Go to the door and the nurse will let you in and show you to his room."

Mark and Becky walked hand in hand until they found their way to his room.

"Oh my god Mark. I can't." Becky said, burying her face in his shoulder. "Oh my god. I've never seen so many wires and bandages in my life."

"Hey buddy…." Mark said, gently touching his shoulder, the one part that wasn't hooked up to lines and tubes.

"That's a really sick baby, Mark. I can't do this."

"Look at me." Mark demanded "That's our son. You're his mother. He needs you now more than ever. He needs to know that you're here."

"I don't wanna see him like that. It hurts Mark."

"It hurts me, too, but we're his parents, we've gotta be strong for him. Talk to him. He needs you. You're the only mom he has."

"Hey buddy. Mommy's here. I love you."

"Touch him."

"He's so frail…"

"I know, but he knows your touch. He knows you. He spent so much time with you. He needs to know you're here."

Becky gently touched his shoulder, "You've gotta let the medicine work and get better. I want to hold you, and right now, I can't."

"I wanna hold you too, pal. I always wanted a son."

"We make beautiful babies, Mark."

"Yeah, we do. We need to make more."

"Let's get this one healthy first, before we make any more." Becky giggled.


End file.
